Spicy Polenta Lasagna

The El Dorado Western Railway Foundation held its annual Christmas party and pot luck dinner last Thursday. We offered spicy polenta lasagna, made from Italian sausage and store-bought polenta. Spicy polenta lasagna is adapted from an Associated Press recipe in the October 19, 2005 Sacramento Bee Taste section.

SPICY POLENTA LASAGNA

Use a 12-inch Dutch oven for a double recipe.

8 ounces sweet Italian sausage
1 medium onion, diced
1 (14-1/2 ounce) diced tomatoes
2 teaspoons hot pepper sauce
2 tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley
2 tablespoons butter
1 (18-ounce) tube prepared polenta, cut into 1-2-inch thick slices
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cook sausage until well-browned in 10-inch Dutch oven medium heat. Break up sausage as it cooks. (Remove casings from meat first if using links.) Remove sausage to bowl.

In drippings remaining in Dutch oven, cook onion until softened over medium heat. Add to bowl with sausage. Stir in tomatoes and their liquid, hot pepper sauce and parsley.

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in same skillet. Cook polenta, half at a time, until browned on both sides. Repeat with remaining butter and polenta slices. Set polenta aside on plate.

Spoon half of the sausage mixture into Dutch oven. Top with half of polenta slices and half of mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Repeat layer again, ending with Parmesan cheese.

Bake 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbling. Serves 4.